Raindrops keep fallin'

Everyone just dashed in from the streets into our cafe because of the daily torrential downpour. The rain comes down for about 20 minutes to 3 hours everyday and it really comes down. The streets flood almost immediately and suddenly ponchos cover every motorbike that passes. The water goes into the exhaust pipes of the bikes and people are stuck in the streets, but it always passes quickly enough and it seems that many people simply enjoy being caught up in it. The amount of rain that falls arrives in a flash and catches everyone off guard so there is nothing to do but enjoy it and be glad that it is 90 degrees outside and it feels great! The monsoon winds, the lush, green environment, the booming thunder and lightning create a lovely tropical storm. We are still looking for a house, but finally have a few prospects to follow up on. However, we recently upgraded to the classy $15 a night/breakfast included suite in our guesthouse with a balcony and an enclosed shower so the pressure to find a house is less daunting. We visited Mytho, a small part of the Mekong Delta where they show you how to make coconut candies and spend most of the day transferring you from one boat to another. They had a small traditional music concert which includes mainly string instruments and has a hint of a southern bluegrass flavor to it. It was really hot, however, and shockingly "air-conditioned" bus on the $4 day tour means "get conditioned to having no air". But it was nice to get out of the city and see the beautiful countryside, so the ride alone was worth the trip.